Handling silicon steel strip



May 12, 1942. A. w. RYAN HANDLING SILICON STEEL STRIP Filed April- 27, 1939 INVENT OR.

YAN-

Auausr h.

X I u I a I- 1 S Q m N ww N 3 h b a. J N.

ATTORNEYS:

v Patented May 12, 1942 UNITED STATES .PAtENT OFFICE mound smcoiv s'rsm. s'rmr August W. Ryan, Zanesvllle, Ohio, asslgnor to The American Rolling Mill Company Middletown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application All! 27, 1939, Serial N0. 270,401 I 8 Claims.

My invention relates to problems met with in the handling of thin metallic sheet and strip stock of relatively brittle character, and in particular thin silicon steel. There haverecently been developed methods and machines for buttwelding thin silicon steel sheets so as to form endless lengths of wide strip material which can be coiled and shipped as such, or which can be slitand. coiled into strip supplies for the substantially continuous operation" of the punch Y presses making transformer laminations or other magnetic parts. v

As showing a method and apparatus suitable for the formation of continuous thin strip by weld I make reference to the copending application of Pay and Reed, Ser. No. 132,824; filed March 24, 1937 and entitled Welding process and apparatus for thin sheet metal, which has now matured intofatent No. 2,172,080, dated Sep-'- tember '5, 1939} In the practice of that invention the silicon steel sheets are sheared at their ends while clamped adjacent the line of out under a given pressure effective over a given area; and the sheet ends are butted for welding and clamped in butted relationship under the same pressures eflective over the same areas, whereby an accurately butted relationship is secured in.

spite or the thinnessbf the material and its lack of flatness. During welding. precautions are maintained to prevent the heat from disturbing the butted relationship. When a sheet has been welded to the tra end of a preformed stlfip, the strip is moved forward until the line of weld is positioned at a rolling device where the weld is rolled. Then the material is coiled; but because of its lack of flatness, it has been found necessary in making a tight, even coil, to coil the material about a verticalmandrelwiththecoilrestingonaflange on the mandrel. and at frequent'intervals to redrel during rotation of the mandrel so as to tight.- en the coil. The necessity of coiling vertically requires that the strip, after welding be twisted so as to bring it from the horizontal to the vertical position. This mode and apparatus for at various points ,in the apparatus. assembly.

l vide a simple, inexpensive and effective solution of the problem set forth above.

I have found that sumcient ductility can be developed in the stripby the application of moderate and controlled degrees of heat at the points where greater ductility is desired, and that a temporary ductilitymaybesoimparted to prevent breaking or tearing the sheet or strip, without impairing the carefully built-up magnetic characteristics of the'product which are the result in 2 part at leastof previous heat treatments at high- .er temperatures In order to gammy results, however, the application of heat-must be carefully controlled. If a high temperature flame is employed it must be keptmoving with reference to the material if the material is stationary durby its nature the process of forming endless strips is discontinuous, and since the material is subject to step-by-step and sometimes quite erratic movements, it is advisable to provide automatic means for flame control, especially where it is necessary to develop ductility in the material at a plurality of points. The necessary temperature is in-the neighborhood of 300 F. If this temperature is not approached satisfactory ductility will not be developed-in the material. If this temperature is greatly exceeded there is grave danger of impairing the magnetic properties of strain the strip material moving toward the man- Y the material.

The more specific objects of my invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon readin: these specifications; and I accomplish themb that certain construction and arrangement of parts and in-that procedure of which I shall now set forth a speciflc embodiment. Reference is made to the drawing wherein:

Figure l isa diagrammaiic'plan view showing an apparatus assembly to which ray-inventionis applied.

rigurezisasimilarviewwhichisavertical section of aportion of the apparatus of Figure 1 takenalohgthelineI-linthatflgure. rigure'sisafragmentary 'elevationalvlewofthe rolling apparatus taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view of a manifold burner, along the line 44 of Figure 2.

The drawing is diagrammatic in character. In the drawing, 5 indicates a shear having a tablet-on which'sheets are sheared. A welding apparatus. is generally indicated at I. It has a table 8 on which fresh sheets are positioned to be welded to the trailing end of a'strip 9 previouslyformed by welding. Theman'ner of the welding and the apparatus involved in this exemplary embodiment of the invention can be ascertained from the copending application first above referred to. They form no necessary limitation on the invention here involved.

The welded joins in the strip 9 are rolled by a rolling device indicated generally at Ill. The strip is twisted beyond the rolling device so as to be brought to a vertical plane and. to pass around a sheave ll. .While being twisted, the strip is supported in various angular positions by suitable supporting means movement of the strip is changed by the sheave II, and it is brought through supporting means i2 to a coiling mandrel I4. I The mandrel is drivl3. The direction or being rolled. Tins-burner is connected by a flex ible tubing 42 to a gas supply line 43. A valve 44 is provided; and the valve is by-passed by a' line 45 containing'a-pilot valve 46. which feeds enough gas to the burner at all times to maintain an ignition flame, but not enough to heatthe work. -I may couple the valve 44 to the clutch lever (or magnetic clutch), as bya chain 41, so that the valve is opened when the clutch is in the forward position. The burner 4|, located ahead of the rolls 2| on the carriage in the direction of forward motion, thus is supplied with gasunder full working pressure to heat the workduring the forward movement of the carriage. When the carriage starts its return travel the working gas pressure is out off, and it is not reapplied until the start of the next rolling operation.

It has been indicated that it is desirable to apply heat to the strip at the point where the twisting action begins.

' manifold burner 48 extending across the strip. This burner is connected to the gas main 43 en by a motor l5, which also drives, through a transmission IS, a braking device I! operated by a cam, which acts at frequent intervals to restrain the strip and tighten the coil on the mandrel.

The rolling device may have various forms. The type illustrated has,'mounted on a suitable framework, an anvil l3 above which is a rail. or bridge I9. A carriage 20 rides on the bridge so as to traverse the work. This carriage bears oneor more rolls 2! by which the transverse welds in the work are rolled against the anvil. The car-' riage is fastened to an endless chain 22 which passes over sheaves 23 and 24 at each end of the bridge. ing a bevel gear 25 which meshes withbevel gears 29 and 21 rotatably mounted on a shaft 28. A motor 29, through a gear box 33, drives the shaft 28. A clutch member 3| is splined on the shaft,

and serves to connect the shaft alternatively to the gears 26 and 21,-wh'ereby the carriage may be driven through the chain in either. direction. The clutch member may be actuated by a clutch lever shown diagrammatically at 32, which is urged inone direction by a spring 33 and may bemoved inanother direction by a solenoid or The sheave 23 is fast to a shaft carry magnet 34. This arrangement is diagrammatic,

primarily, and I prefer to use a magnetic clutch. The motor 29 is supplied'w'lth current from power mains 35. It may be started by a hand switch 33 in itscircuit. As the carriage moves.

forward, a pin 31 thereon actuates a switch 33 in a holding circuit for the motor so as to close it, Thus the hand switch 35 may be released; but the motor will continue to run.

When the carriage has traversed the work and nears the opposite end of the bridge, the pin 31. actuates a switch 39 in the circuit of the solenoid through avalve 49. This valve is again bypassed by a line containing a pilot valve, 5|,

permitting such a flow of gas-at ,alLtimes as will maintain the burner alight without heating the sheet to any great degree. This is an instance where the burner isstationary. Consequently it must be turned onto apply the treating heat to the strip only when the strip is moving. Not only, however, must it be turnedoff as soon as the strip stops, it must also be turned on automatically as soon as the strip starts to move.

'A switch is arranged in the circuit of the motor l5, to be operated by the strip. The formation of the strip is necessarily a step-by-step operation, and the strip is stationary while being welded and rolled, and then is moved forward in'such a wayasto position the trailing end of the'strip at the welding station forthejoiningof a fresh sheet, and so as to position the .newly made weld at the rolling station. The forward 'movement of the stripis accomplished by motorized pinch-rolls 52 under the control of the operator.

When the pinch rolls feed the strip forward,

slackness may be formed in it as at 53. I arrange, as an exemplary structure a weight op-- .erated switch 54, which controls the motor l5 so as;to set-it in operation as soon as the aforesaid slackness forms. The valve 49 may be an electrical valve with a solenoid. 55 in the circuit of the motor l5. Thus as soon as-the motor is energized so that the strip 9 begins to move, the burner 43 is turned on to apply the full'working heat. to the strip.

When the pinch rolls 52 have fed the strip forward sufficiently to position its trailing end at the welding station they stop. The coiler motor l5 continues to operate, however, until the slackness 53 has beentaken out of the strip. when thishappens, the weight 56 is lifted by the strip,

.' motor.

-, excepting that The pin also reoperating'the switch 54' and de-energizing the V Also, the electrical valve 49 is de-energiz'ed and the gas is cut off from the burner 49, which passes throughthe pilot line 50. I

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to -secure by Letters .Patent is:

-1. In apparatus of the character described, in

combination with welding means for a strip, take up means. forsaid strip, means controlling the operation of said :takeup means in accordance I locate at this point a 2; In' a device of the character described' means for ,moving silicon steel strip, means for' operating upon said strip during its movement in a manner to change its configuration so as to require greater ductility in the 'strip than the carriage, a fuel supply for said burner, havinga valve, and a connection-between said valve and said clutchmeans, whereby said' burner is fed 'with fuelunder full working pressure during the movement of said carriagejinbutbne'di rection.

6. In apparatus of the character described,

cross rolling means for transverse welds in a strip may possess, and means for applyingheat to the said strip to render it more ductile during the said operation thereon, the said heat applying means being located adjacent the said operating means so as to be capable of heating said strip while it is being operated upon, and means for controlling the operation of said heat applying means in accordance with the movement of said-strip asproduced by said moving means, whereby said heat applying means is caused to be efiective in applying a working heat to said strip only during periods of movement of said strip. I

3. In apparatus of the character described,

cross rolling means for transverse seams in a strip, said means comprising a carriage, means for driving said carriage so as. to cause it to traverse the strip, means for applying heat to said strip, mounted on said carriage, and means for rendering said heat applying means effective only during periods of motion of said carriage. 4. In apparatus of the character described,

strip, comprising a carriage-having forward and rearwardmovement across the strip, a motor for said carriage, magnetic means including a clutch for determining the forward and reverse'mo'vement of said carriage, aburner mounted on. said carriage, a .-fuel ,supply for said burner,; having a valve, and a connectionbetween said.

valve and said-clutch means, whereby said burner is fed with fuel under full working pressure during the movement of said carriage in but one. direction, said motor having a circuit, and a connectionfbetween saidcircuit and said magnetic meails S ch that when said motorisde ene gized said valve is closed.

cross rolling means; for'transverse seams in a strip, said means comprising a carriage, means .for drivingsaid carriage. so as .to cause it to traverse the strip, means for applying heat to said strip, mounted on said carriageand means for rendering said heat applying means effective only during periods of motion of said carriage, said last mentioned means comprising control means for said heat applying means, means for controlling the movements of said carriage, and

- an operative connection between said last mentioned means.

5. In apparatus of the character described, cross rolling means for transverse welds in a strip, comprising a carriage having forward and rearward movement across the strip, a motor for said carriage, magnetic means including a clutch for determining the forward and reverse move- ;ment of said carriage, a burner moimted on said W applying heat to said strip having a fuel supply with a valve, and magnetic means controlling said valve and located in said circuit so as to consumed by said burner.

'7. In apparatus of the character described,

cross rolling means for transverse welds in a strip, comprising a carriage having forward and rearward movementacross the strip, a motor for said carriage,.magnetic means including a clutch; for determining the forward and reverse move- .ment of said carriage, a burner mounted on said carriage, a fuelsupply for-said burner,

having a valve, and a connection between said valve and said clutch means, whereby said burner v, is fed with fuel under full working pressure during the movement of said carriage in but'one' direction, said motor having a circuit and a connection between saidcircuit and saidmagnetic means suchithat when saidmotor is deenergized said valve is closed, and take up means for said strip including a motor, a circuit for said motor, a switch in'said circuit operated by slack-mess in. said strip, additional means for be aflected by said switch.

8. Apparatu's claimed in claim 2 wherein said means for applying heat is'a burner, and said controlling means affects the quantity of fuel Am s-r wfinran. 

